Ad Astra Per Aspera
by PennamePersona
Summary: To the stars through difficulty. That's been Isabella's dream since she first met Phineas-to get him to romance her, so they could live happily ever after, the sooner the better. But what happens when her wish comes true? Will things turn out as she hoped?
1. Beginning

**I would like to start out by warning all of you that I have a tough time finishing what I start writing, so if you really like what I'm doing here, by all means yell at me and force my fingers to type so I can keep going!**

**I love Phineas and Ferb, and I may actually love the fandom MORE because there's Phinabella here!**

**Okay, so everyone here should be roughly 14-15, as it's their freshman year of High School.**

**Oh, and just a little backstory into the title- "Ad Astra Per Aspera" means "To the stars through difficulty" in Latin. I figured since Phineas's favorite phrase, "Carpe Diem" was Latin, may as well continue on. That and I love Latin, not to mention how appropriately dreyay it sounds. **

**Disclaimer: I couldn't handle owning Phineas and Ferb because half the storyline is Phineas being oblivious (OMG that ryhmed!) and I couldn't keep him and Isabella apart.**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Ferb looked at his step-brother with one eyebrow raised. It was the first day of high school, something everyone in their gang had been anticipating with bated breath-of course, no more so than Baljeet.

"This cannot be happening. It's not true. If I don't look at it, it's not there." Phineas looked as though he was near hyperventilating as he stared down at the class schedule he had pulled out of a small packet handed to the boys when their parents had returned from school registration. The brothers had decided not to look until the very first day of school while they waited at the bus stop, as they were doing now. Obviously something had going wrong with Phineas's schedule, judging by the horrified look he was giving Ferb as he gesture to the aforementioned piece of paper.

"Just look at this!"

"Look at what?" The musical voice of their neighbor, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro inquired, as the pretty young woman bounced down to the step-brother's sides.

"My schedule!" Phineas cried, waving the paper. Isabella grabbed it and looked down, tucking a piece of her raven-black hair back behind her white headband.

"Oh no," She said, looking at Phineas with her eyes full of sympathy. "You didn't get the Engineering class you wanted!"

Ferb sighed, but nodded, just as sympathetic. After their many summers of impossible work, the approaching threat of High School was only bearable with the added promise of enjoyable classes.

Besides that, it had been pointed out to the brothers by Buford that, while Phineas was the imaginative part of their operation, compared to Ferb, he was lacking in the actual work part.

Although, compared to Buford, Phineas may as well be Albert Einstein re-incarnated.

Minus the overindulgent sex life, of course.

"Oh well," Phineas sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to talk to the academic counselor about it. What's your schedule like, Isabella?" Before she had a chance to answer, the bright yellow school bus pulled up alongside the curb. The three of them piled in, heading for whatever empty seats they could manage to find. Unluckily-or luckily, depending on how you think about it-there was only one empty seat, which was across from Gretchen, Isabella's best female friend, who shared a mutual attraction with Ferb.

Isabella had resigned herself with sitting across from Phineas rather than next to him, when Ferb unexpectedly plopped down next to Gretchen and waved Phineas and Isabella over to the next seat.

The young Mexican-Jewish girl shot him a grateful look, even though she was sure that only a part if his intention was to allow her extra time with Phineas. Just because she was mildly obsessed with Phineas didn't mean she had missed all the loaded looks between Ferb and Gretchen during the summer. Personally, she was relieved that Ferb had given up on the older goth chick he had been mooning over- and before he even saw her out with her boyfriend! He and Gretchen would make an adorable couple.

"Isabella?" She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Phineas's voice. "Can I see your schedule?"

"Oh!" Isabella blushed slightly at her inatentiveness and handed over the slip of paper. "Sure, no problem."

She watched as he compared their schedules, a thoughtful expression on his face. When he handed hers back, a bemused smile curved across his lips.

"What is it?" Isabella asked, folding her schedule and slipping it into her bag.

"We have all of our classes together, and something tells me that in order to fit the Engineering class, I'd have to rearrange my entire schedule."

Isabella's face fell.

"Oh... Well, I mean, it's not like we won't see each oth-"

"You know what?" Phineas interrupted her, smiling. "I don't think I need to take Engineering. Ferb can give me pointers if I really need them."

Isabella didn't even bother trying to hide her blush.

**So, tell me what you guys think! No pressure or anything, but it's way easier for me to stay on an idea if I have support for it, and I'd really like to make this more than a one-shot, even though it could be. And not a series of one-shots or a perfectly in line story either... I just don't want to leave it. So pllllleeeeeeaaaaasssssseeeeeeee, review!**


	2. Preparations

**I probably won't always update this fast, but I felt like the first chapter was too short to leave alone. I'll try to update at least once every week, but I can't guarantee anything.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Phineas and Ferb. Proof- I'm broke!**

"Hey Dinnah Be-" Buford attempted to greet Phineas as he exited the bus, only to be cut short when the red-haired young man dashed past him and into the school.

"What was that about?" The bully asked aloud, not noticing Isabella, Ferb, and Gretchen approaching behind him.

"He wants to check about schedule changes before class starts." Isabella said, pretending not to see Ferb and Gretchen subtly knocking their hands together.

"Already? Geez, what is wrong with the youth of America these days? Jeet's in there early, asking all his teachers if their classes are 'challenging enough that he'll be able to spend at least five hours on his studies.' Five hours!" Buford shook his head, apparently very disappointed in his nerd's...nerdiness.

"Wow." Isabella raised her eyebrows. "That seems like a bit much, even for him."

Buford nodded, following her into the common area inside the school.

"So," He gave her a calculating look. "Dinnah Bell getta clue yet?"

Isabella blushed.

"Buford!" She hissed, glancing around to see if Phineas was coming back from the academic counselor's office yet. "I thought we agreed not to discuss this where Phineas might hear!"

Buford rolled his eyes. "C'mon Girly, it'll take ages for him to get into her office. Jeet'll take forever switching all his classes to his freaky, nerdy satisfaction."

Isabella considered this for a moment. "Fair enough. But still! Someone else could hear and tell him."

Buford laughed. "Girly, everybody knows about your little crush on him...except, well, him." Isabella sighed and knocked her head onto the tabletop.

"Augh, I know..." She groaned. "Do you think he's ever gonna realize...?" She looked up at Buford hopefully. The bully's eyes widened in slight panic as he threw his hands up in front of him defensively.

"Hey, I've already offered to knock some sense into him. That's the best I can do, so don't go asking me these touchy-feely questions." He said, smiling slightly when Isabella laughed. "That's a good sound Girly. You should make it more often. Don't let Dinnah Bell's cluelessness getcha down. Someday he's gonna realize what you're worth.

Isabella smiled warmly at him. "Thanks Buford." She punched him on the shoulder. "You're not such a jerk after all."

"Gee, thanks Girly. That means a lot." Buford said drily, standing up. "Well, lovely you it's been, I've got some business to attend to." Isabella raised one eyebrow and smirked.

"You, Buford VonStomm, attending to business on the first day of school? You aren't actually becoming interested in your grades, are you?" She asked sarcastically. Buford chuckled, shaking his head.

"Me? Keep dreaming. I've got to go talk to the office about spending next year in France for Foreign Exchange. My ma said she'll pay for their she doesn't get any calls home all year." The bully winced. "She drives a hard bargain."

"Oooh, France!" Isabella's eyes lit up. "Is it for Brigette? That's sooooo romantic!" She clasped her hands together. Buford gave her a panicked look.

"Yeah, it's for Bridgie, but don't say it so loud. You'll ruin my reputation!" He insisted quietly. Isabella giggled.

"Bridgie? You call her Bridgie? That's so cute!" She gushed, enjoying Buford's discomfort. He walked away quickly, waving back at her when she called out a good-bye. Isabella then glanced around, searching for Ferb and Gretchen, hoping they wouldn't be doing anything she didn't want to see or hear.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Perry chattered contentedly as Lawrence stroked him. Sometimes it was nice to play "normal pet". However, it seemed wrong with the boys at school, so his daily routine with his nemesis, Heinz Doofensmirtz, would be welcome today.

As though activated by the thought, his wrist communicator vibrated slightly, so only he could feel it. He waited a few more minutes, just in case Lawrence had detected the small movement and connected it with his eminent disappearance. Luckily for him, though, it was just at that moment that Lawrence decided he was in need of a beverage from the kitchen and moved him onto the couch.

"Be back in a moment Perry." The man said quietly, assuming Perry was asleep. As soon as Lawrence was around the corner, Perry snapped up and put on his fedora, jumping behind the couch and pulling out a dime that had fallen. When he did so, the vent located behind the couch flipped open, allowing Agent P to fall down the secret chute and into the drawer, followed by a few crumbs and pieces of lint.

Major Monogram's image appeared on the large screen, as per usual.

"Doofenshmirtz has been spotted gathering a large amount of small metal circular devices that seem to change color when placed upon a finger. We don't know what they are, or-"

"They're called mood rings, sir. They're all the rage with kids these days. I've even got one!" Carl, the unpaid intern, appeared on the screen, showing off an entirely pink ring on his middle finger. "See, it's pink. That means I'm happy!"

Major Monogram fixed Carl with a pointed glare.

"As I was saying..." He refocused on Agent P, pretending that Carl _wasn't _still behind him, now sporting a blue-sad-mood ring.

"Stop Doofenshmirtz."

Agent P saluted, then flipped backwards in his chair, vanishing into another piece of the OWCA pipe system, which would shoot him up into the air above Doofenshmirtz Evil, Inc.

_ Mood rings? Really?_

"Look, Norm, it's black! ... What does black mean?"

"According to the pamphlet that accompanied your toys, it means 'imminent doom', sir."

"They are not toys, Norm! They're very evil devices! And imminent doom isn't even-Perry the Platypus!"

Agent P burst in through the balcony, mildly amused at the conversation between man and robot.

Heinz tilted his head slightly, then gestured to the left with a hand.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus, would you mind taking a step to the there we go!" Several different colored rings snapped up around the semi-aquatic mammal, effectively keeping him in place.

"Now, for my plan. I'm afraid I didn't have much time to rehearse my monologue...I suppose I'll just have to wing it.

"You may remember my backstories about my childhood back in Gimmbleshtump, with my mentally abusive parents. Well, it occurred to me the other day, in the shower... So many of my problems are connected to my scarred childhood! If I could have had the courage back then to stand up to my parents, maybe I wouldn't be so much of a failure now! So, I created..."

The scientist pulled a sheet off of his newest creation.

"The Second-Chance-Mood-Swinginator!"

**I'm sorry, I just love the idea of Buford being like a big brother figure to Isabella and comforting her when Phineas is being a moron... I mean, I know, that's Ferb's job, but even he needs a break sometimes.**

**Normally I wouldn't be spending much time on the PerryxDoof scences, but in this story, as per usual, Doofenshmirtz will be the cause of a major plot twist. **

**Any guesses on what it might be?**

**Please R&R! **


	3. Impulse

**Longest chapter yet! Here's where that plot I promised is coming into play. I apologize in advance for small grammatical errors-I'm typing this on an iPad, and let say just say, the autocorrect on here is awful! **

**I'm updating as fast as I can, but I can't promise I'm always going to be this quick. Let's you and me enjoy it while it lasts!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Phineas and Ferb, I probably wouldn't be an anti-social teenage girl. Of course, I might be, but the operative word here is "if". As in I don't. So, continue onto the fanfic!**

Heinz Doofenshmirtz was not the type of man to go about about things the easy way. He would hatch a complicated scheme just to stop a few barking dogs-in fact, he had!

But this time, even Agent P had to concede that he had a fairly rational point.

"So you see Perry the Platypus, I have a tray of these fun little rings, they're called _mood_ rings, and they're supposed to change color according to your mood. I guess these are defective or something, they keep telling me I'm "doomed", but what do I care if they're broken? They're perfect for my scheme! All I have to do is shoot these rings with the Second-Chance-Mood-Swinginator, and they will gain the power to send one emotion into a specific moment in your past. It has to be _very specific_, mind you, something you've relived many times. When you've thought of the right moment, you have to allow yourself to feel what you felt then. If you can do that, and conjure up a strong emotion to replace what you felt then, it will be sent back, through your past, and into that moment."

The evil scientist paused for a moment, glancing expectantly at Agent P. The platypus smiled slightly and slapped his tail, which had been caught in the rings along with the rest of him, forcefully down, causing the rings to snap in half.

_ Too easy._

"Oh, so you think you're going to thwart me that easily, huh? Well think again buster!" Dr. D yelled, slamming his fist onto the button that would send a powerful ray out of the Second-Chance-Mood-Swinginator, which was aimed directly at the tray of rings.

For a change, the ray actually hit what it was meant to, but perhaps in an attempt to overcompensate for yet another summer of failure, the beam was a little too powerful, causing the rings to go flying out of the tray and onto the floor, just begging to be slipped on.

Which Heinz did, in a flying attempt to catch one solitary ring that had flown out of the tray and into the air, launched at a perfect angle to bounce on several outstretched umbrellas set up by the people trying to soak up the last rays of summer sun, through an open window leading into the Danville High main office, and onto a small table next to a few waiting chairs, directly next to the one currently occupied by one Phineas Flynn.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Fine! If you say so! But I am telling you, you will run into this problem again!" Baljeet near screeched as he walked out of the academic counselor's office. Phineas suppressed a grin. Only Baljeet would make this big if a fuss over pencil sharpener placement-and before classes even started on the first day.

"Hey Dinnah Bell, what's up?" Phineas swiveled his head in the direction of Buford's raspy voice.

"Oh hi Buford! I was just going to see what classes I'd have to switch in order to fit Engineering. I think I'd have to rearrange everything else, though, so I think I won't be taking it this year. I already have a pretty good schedule, and I can always take it another year or just ask Ferb for help." He replied with his general optimism.

"Well let's see the good schedule then." Buford held out a large hand and sank into an uncomfortable office chair to scan through it.

"I don't see what's so fantastic about it. AP classes everywhere, and nothing fun!" Buford handed back the slip of paper with a confused look.

"It's the same as Isabella's." The redhead replied steadily, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. Buford raised an eyebrow.

"So, you and Girly huh?" Somehow, he managed a straight face.

"I...uh...well, I don't know...I was just thinking that maybe...I mean, she's pretty cool, and..." Phineas stammered out, his cheeks flushing red. He had only just begun to consider the possibility of being with Isabella, after a scarcely veiled hint from one of the gang. Something about "finally seeing her". He hadn't immediately thought much of it, but afterwards he couldn't help but notice her...everything about her. How she smiled, ow she laughed, the way her hair swayed, the look of her... After the thought process had started, there was no stopping it. He had heard a few murmurs about "finally catching on", but he wasn't sure exactly how to take that. He hoped it hadn't meant that Isabella had been thinking of him this way for all these years, but if it did, he was glad she hadn't forced anything. He didn't know _how _he would have reacted...

He was snapped out of his daze by Buford flicking his ear.

"Jeez. Took you long enough." Phineas wasn't sure if he was talking about his daydreaming or his interest in the girl across the street, but decided he'd rather not ask.

"Hey, what's that?" Budford asked, pointing to as small ring that was lying, discarded, on the table separating their chairs. Phineas spiced it up and examined it.

"Looks like one of those mood rings from downtown that everybody's been talking about. I saw Isabella looking at them the other day." The young inventor almost set the ring back down, but put it to his eyes again.

"Hey, Budford...do you think she'd like this?" He asked the bully, who offered a rare grin.

"Yes, Phineas. Yes I do."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Soo, what were you and Phineas talking about that was making you blush so bad?" Gretchen asked, leaning back against Ferb whilst interrogating Isabella. The Mexican-Jewish girl frowned at her friend before answering.

"His _schedule, _thank you very much." Isabella stated, acting insulted. Gretchen smothered a giggle, and Ferb smirked. The raven-haired teen rolled her eyes, but smiled good-naturedly.

"So, why did his schedule make you-" Gretchen was caught off by Phineas's arrival.

"Hey Isabella, look what I found in the office! Mrs. Poll said that the only students she saw this morning were Baljeet, Buford, and me, so I could take it if I wanted." He opened his hand to reveal a ring, identical to one she had admired last week while walking with him.

"It's for you." The young man blushed, his face a few shades lighter than his hair. "I saw you looking at one like it the other day..."

Isabella couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. It wasn't the most romantic gesture in the world, but coming from him, it was a bouquet of a dozen red roses. She slipped it on her finger.

"Thanks Phineas." She said, and hugged him. He stiffened against her for a moment but, after he recovered, wrapped his arms tightly around her. She melted into the embrace. She'd dreamed of holding him, of his arms encircling her. She could be happy with this, just this, for the rest of her life. If only she could have told her past self that there didn't need to be some big romantic gesture, that all it took to feel happy was a simple hug, initiated by herself!

She thought back to Paris, to all the frustration and despair he had inadvertently caused, wishing with all her might that she could send back the confidence and joy and _love _she was feeling right now...

And she blacked out.

**Huge bundle of hugs for everyone who's reviewed so far! I love all of you! So, please, by all means, tell me what you guys think of this! **

**R&R!**

**XD**


	4. Remember

**Wow, Im updating so much faster than I thought I would...**

**This. Is. Awesome! **

**Just...gonna savor it. **

**Again, I'm sorry for any small grammatical errors...**

**I hate autocorrect. **

**So excited for this chapter! Here comes the plot! **

**Disclaimer: Does this look like Phineas and Ferb to you?**

"Augh..." Isabella came to, holding her head groggily. "What happened, Phineas..." She glanced at her surroundings, bleary-eyed.

She stared in shock at what appeared to be her room.

Instead of soft pink and white, all she saw was black and a harsh, neon pink, as different from her favorite color as a rose from a thorn.

Black walls, pink accents. Jet black sheets against a wrought-iron headboard decorated with roses. Pink skulls decorating the comforter. A harshly pink vanity in place of a soft white, delicate one. Meaningful trinkets and photos replaced by make-up and diamond-skull accessories. Rushing to the mirror, she saw a tight black, strategically torn shirt with a neon pink skull sporting a diamond bow replacing the just-off-the-shoulder, strappy, pink, belted shirt she had worn today, and the pristine white jeans had been exchanged for harshly bleached and ragged leggings.

And her hair.

Oh, her hair.

Her long, beautiful, silky, raven-black hair had been chopped into jagged layers with that same too-harsh pink stamped and streaked in random spots.

She looked down at the table in shock, and grabbed the single frame standing against the mirror, a plain wooden one, the only thing in the room that wasn't drastically different.

Except for the picture within.

Instead a group photo with all the gang, taken at the end of that memorable summer three years previous, it was of six people in the middle of a field. Three girls, three guys, each in various shades of black and neon.

One of them was obviously her, close to how she looked now, but with a pink netting miniskirt and diamond bow, a pink skull in the center.

Taking several deep breaths that turned out more like hyperventilating, Isabella sank onto her bed, trying to keep a level head, and nearly screaming when she felt her phone vibrate against her leg.

Message from: Moxie.

_ Were r u Iz_

Isabella gritted her teeth in annoyance. She had few pet peeves, but... Iz? No one called Isabella Garcia-Shapiro "Iz". Izzy was acceptable if you were a close friend or family member, but unless you wanted to feel the full extent of her half-dozen self-defensorang martial-arts patches, you did not call her _Iz_.

Glancing back down at the screen, Isabella contemplated whether or not to answer. She was barely holding off her panic as it was, but if she could get some sort of information out of whoever "Moxie" was...

_Home_

Seemed like a safe enough answer.

It didn't even take a full minute for the response to come through.

_ Y evn skip if u rnt hnging wit us?!_

Augh. She hated it when people shortned words like that. She always tried her best to be grammatically correct, even when texting, as did all her friends...even Buford!

Well, most of the time.

She snapped out of her annoyance, and rapidly typed a reply.

_Sry had 2 grab some stuff_

She twitched slightly upon seeing the message, then moved to the door.

Well, if she was already skipping school to hang with the groupies, then she had better get down to the field...

Wait.

Isabella stopped in her doorway. Groupies? Field?! What was going on..._  
_

She glanced distractedly back at her phone.

_Ooo gtta b prtty 4 Kale!_

Oh dear Lord no.

Kale.

Two lives, two sets of memories, came flooding to her. She remembered each vividly, but still clung to the one she knew best, though she could hardly ignore the images that forced themselves to the front of her mind.

Kissing Phineas after getting back from the around-the-world trip.

His mediocre reaction, and the decision to try and be boyfriend/girlfriend.

The terrible end to the relationship, called off because neither of them understood what they were trying to do.

The change in both of them, Phineas drawing in on himself and forcing out more happiness than he really felt, before shying over the the shadows to wallow in regret, her changing everything and finding new, punk-emo friends and...doing things that she never would have considered morally right.

Hanging out in the old football field, making bonfires when the sun went down, marking up the bleachers and grass with neon spray paint, running when they heard sirens.

And then, most recently, seeing him in the hall one day. That was when she had started the obsession over Kale. What better to get over these old feelings than to replace them with new ones?

She tried to refuse this life, these feelings, but how could she?

This was her life now.

All her fault...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Phineas sat, dispondant, in his desk chair, contemplating as he often did, the failed relationship of three years previous with Isabella Garcia-Shapiro-Iz now.

How might things have gone if they hadn't tried to rush in, if they had stopped to think, and to listen...

He was struck by a sudden barrage of thoughts.

Routine continued normally for three years, inventions becoming more and more outlandish, then smaller and more useful, finally creating things that became marketed.

Profit rolling in, hardly noticed by either of the boys, who split it equally amongst all the gang, even Candace.

Convincing even Buford to save the money instead of blowing it all.

A visit from Buford's French friend, revealed as his girlfriend the previous summer...

Isabella, so jealous when he had received the accompanying French girls so warmly, his casual statement of disinterest in any girls...well, except her, of course.

The way she glowed when he complimented her.

Deciding, quietly, to himself, that he loved her.

Telling Ferb after he revealed a similar interest in Gretchen.

Keeping it quiet until the moment was right.

And then, giving her a small trinket. Her, embracing him so tenderly, it was he could do not to kiss her right then and there.

And then...

Nothing.

But that couldn't be right. And they didn't feel like predictions...they felt like...

_Memories. _

**Thanks for all the reviews, guys! But please, tell me what you thhiiiiinnnnnkkkkkk!**

**Please R&R!**


	5. What One Choice Can Cause

**I would like to thank all of you keeping up with my story, I really do appreciate it!**

**I'd also like to issue a warning-this chapter isn't what the whole story is going to be set on. I just needed to touch on a few things to get some stuff going. **

**I cover this more in the footnote. **

**Disclaimer: I'm too busy having no life to own Phineas and Ferb!**

Isabella sat on her bed, looking down at the contact list on her phone.

_Phineas Flynn_

Her fingered hovered over the call icon next to the name. The headache that had appeared when she woke up on the floor hadn't gone yet, probably not helped by having to sift through two sets of memories.

What if the Phineas here didn't care about her anymore...

What if she was the only one who remembered the other life?

Isabella sighed, plopping backwards onto the bed. How had all of this even happened?!

She went back through both sets of memories until finding the first difference yet again.

The kiss.

Why did she kiss him? She remembered a sudden influx of affection for him, but she had those all the time. She had learned to control them. But after all the disappointment that day, it was harder than usual, especially after seeing Candace and Jeremy kiss...

Wait.

Isabella shot upwards. _That_ was where it split. In one, they had sung, danced, partied, but packed up for another great day.

In the other, the one connected to all of this, after watching Jeremy and Candace, she had felt a sudden rush of confidence and joy and _love_... She hadn't been able to stop herself from kissing him!

But... Why had the emotions even come to her?

Isabella twisted the ring on her finger absently, then froze.

The ring on her finger.

The mood ring that Phineas gave her just before she blacked out and woke up here.

The ring that she shouldn't be wearing if she wasn't supposed to have spoken to him in three years.

She looked down at it wonderingly. Was this all because of a mood ring? She didn't see how, but it was difficult to find impossibilities strictly impossible after being friends with Phineas and Ferb.

And if anyone would be able to tell if this ring was some kind of emotional transmitter or inter-dimensional transporter, it would be the two step-brothers.

Isabella picked up the phone and called Phineas.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Phineas sat with his head in his hands.

Two sets of memories.

How... He shook his head. He had to be imagining things. There was no way that he had somehow lived out two lives, only to realize it at some random moment.

He laughed at his foolishness.

It was impossible.

As though cued by the thought, his phone rings, a sound he never expected to hear again.

_Gitchee Gitchee Goo means that I love you!_

"Impossible..." He breaths, then grins. It's a happy, optimistic, and incredibly defiant grin that hasn't been used for three years.

And yet, he still hesitates to pick up the phone. He's been quiet, sad, and-perhaps worst of all-believed this to be impossible for _three years_. It's difficult to let loose, to be the Phineas Flynn he once was.

But this is Isabella.

_Carpe Diem._

"Hello?"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ferb's eyelids shoot up suddenly, and he gazes around the park as though seeing it in a new light. It must have been a dream... How else could he have come up with this?

Asleep in a sitting position on a park bench one minute, and the next...

Another life lay before him, changed entirely.

Comforting Isabella while his brother held tight to his obliviousness.

Not having to choose sides between the two of them after a bad break-up, as the relationship hadn't...happened...

The barrage of emotions and (could it really be?) _memories_ slammed into him.

Falling for Gretchen, telling Phineas, planning the perfect way to tell her-he hadn't gotten to do that yet, but soon he would-and then seeing Vanessa with someone who looked familiar in a vague sort of way...

But that hadn't broken his heart then. He loved Gretchen then...

The green-haired Brit shook his head rather violently.

Seeing Vanessa with that _guy_ had broken his heart. He had slowly began to turn the same way as Phineas...

But in that other set of memories, his heart was whole. Better than whole, he had been alive with the joy of new love!

And Phineas...Phineas had just begun the process of loving Isabella. But...

Why shouldn't it turn out the same way as it had in _this_ life?

Ferb Fletcher picked himself up and began the run home, already knowing what he had to do.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Buford stared dreamily at a pocket-sized photo of a beautiful French girl he'd lost contact with three years ago. It had been the heartbreak between two of his close friends that had caused him to second-guess his feelings for Brigette.

If he could do anything to go back and change that, he would, in a heartbeat.

At the notion, he clutched his chest, the sudden pain emitting from it too much for him.

What if he really hasn't second-guessed?

He could see it now...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Gretchen looked up from her book, staring out the window, as she often did. What might it be like if she hadn't lost her two best friends in one fell swoop?

Since "the incident", all of the Fireside Girls had broken contact. She had been left friendless, with only her books to turn to.

Once upon a time, she had dreamed of more than this.

But that was just as ridiculous now as it had been before.

The auburn-haired girl turned back to her book, which after a moment that seemed to last a lifetime, she dropped.

Her head spun with the possibilities, one standing out from the others violently.

_Ferb._

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I need you."

Those words, never before a possibility for the moment, snapped into the present with all the subtlety of a tornado.

"I'll be there."

There had never been another answer.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Heinz Doofenshmirtz looked around his apartment, then down at the box, sighing. What was the point anymore? All of his hope had been gone for a long time. No one would be here to miss him...

He had better hurry.

The last boat to Gimbleshtump was leaving in half an hour, with or without him.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Perry blinked, trying desperately to believe the lie he was living. Having to give up on his life, his work, the thing that gave him a double sense of real_ purpose_ had been a blow.

But now...

He was sick, he knew. He hadn't been excersizing like he should. He hadn't really been moving at all, to be honest.

Maybe the needle would be a relief.

To no longer be torn between two lives...

He sighed.

Tomorrow would be it.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Candace lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, seeing only gray.

How could she fight the doubt?

Her little brother and the girl across the street had been as certain as her and Jeremy.

So...

How could she resist when things broke off?

And how could she resist the waves of apathetic misery that washed over her so often now?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_We need to fix this. _

_One choice can change more than you'd think. _

_We can fix this. _

_We have to fix this..._

**Okay, okay, I know this chapter probably wasn't what yang of you expected. But I wanted to touch up with, if not all, then some of the more prominent lives that would be affected by Isabella and Phineas. I purposefully ignored some because they won't be involved in the unfolding plot. **

**I didn't really have to include Perry and Doof, but I feel like they deserve some recognition. Just in case it wasn't detailed enough, here's what I picture happening. **

**Phineas is all sad, and Ferb is losing hope, so Perry feels torn between trying to comfort the boys and fighting Doof. Eventually he gets so distracted that Major Monogram has no choice but to fire him, as he's lost too many battles due double studded stress his double life is causing. **

**Doof, with no one to fight and confide in, loses the hope that caused him to continue fighting against the injustice of his life. As a result, he makes the decision to leave Danville for his old terror of a home.**

**Perry becomes depressed by the loss of his nemesis and the job that he loves, so much so that when he becomes sick due to lack of food and excersize, the Flynn-Fletchers have no choice but to put him down. **

**Sad, right? **

**The others I might touch a bit later, but I just threw the PerryxDoof thing in because they're so awesome and they deserve a bit of time. **

**Not sure if I'm gonna go more on the CandacexJeremy thing, but I couldn't just leave the show's main pairing out of the destruction!**

**So, thanks again for all the previous reviews, and please, tell me what you think!**

**Please R&R!**


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